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October 12, 2017 Vol. 125, No. 203 www.alexcityoutlook.com 75¢
SPORTS, PAGE 10 BRHS looks to turn tables on Minor
Youthful offender hearing set in murder case By MITCH SNEED Editor
The man suspected of firing the shot that led to the death of an 18-year-old Benjamin Russell basketball standout is due back in court Friday morning at 9 a.m. for a seeking youthful offender status in the case. In August, a grand jury returned
indictments on charges of reckless murder and shooting into an occupied vehicle against Anthony Davon Parker. Parker, now 19, was arrested on March 30 as a result of the March 28 shooting on Robinson Road that led to the death of 18-year-old Quentavious Arrion Reese. The indictments read in part: “Parker did recklessly engage in
conduct which manifested extreme indifference to human life and created a grave risk of death to a person other than the said Anthony Davon Parker, and did thereby cause the death of Quentavious Arrion Reese, by shooting a .45 caliber pistol into an occupied vehicle.” Parker was set for a Sept. 19 hearing on a youthful offender
motion. Parker is represented by Birmingham attorney Emory Anthony Jr., but due to a scheduling conflict he could not attend on that date so the hearing was reset for Friday at 9 a.m. before Judge Ray Martin. In Alabama, a defendant can be granted youthful offender status See CASE • Page 3
Parker
‘TO KILL A PREACHER’ Former DA Jones completes book on Maxwell saga By MITCH SNEED and DAVID GRANGER Staff Writers
What has been a nearly three-year mission to tell one of the great stories in local legal lore is now complete. Former Fifth Judicial Circuit District Attorney E. Paul Jones said he has sent his 53,500-word book chronicling the life, times and legend of the pulpwooding preacher Will Maxwell and the trial of his killer to a publisher for review. “It took me about two and a half years,” Jones said. “I really don’t think it would have taken that long, but when I was still the DA, I just didn’t have the time to work on it like I wanted to. But since retiring, I kind of treated it like a job and set aside at least two hours a day for it and many days that turned into four or five hours. But now that it’s done, I’m really excited about it.” Jones has a working title of “To Kill A Preacher,” using a play on words due to the connections and interest that Pulitzer Prizewinning author the late Harper Lee had in the subject. Lee is known to have spent months in Alexander City talking with the players in the Maxwell saga and is thought to have done some work on the Maxwell story. Maxwell, also called by many the Voodoo Preacher, is believed by many to have killed at least five people between 1970 and 1977 in and around the Nixburg community but never went before a jury. It was the last of those deaths which led
File / The Outlook
Former Tallapoosa County District Attorney E. Paul Jones has completed a book entitled ‘To Kill a Preacher’ that chronicles the saga of Will Maxwell, above left, and the trial of the man who killed him, Robert Burns.
See BOOK • Page 3
United Way agency in Alexander City provides safety education EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the tenth in a series of profiles on the 28 agencies that receive funding through the Lake Martin Area United Way. Currently, the Lake Martin Area United Way is holding its 2018 fundraising campaign, “Team United.” To learn how to help, contact the United Way at 256329-3600 or at www.unitedwaylakemartin.org. By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer
The officers of the Alexander City Police
Today’s
Department have a mission to keep the city safe and keep criminals off the streets. To help reach this goal, the department has a unit that engages in a number of community outreach programs, the Crime Prevention Unit, under the command of Captain James Orr. “The police department has added so much more, the name was changed,” Corporal Marcus Billups, who works to coordinate the different school programs for the unit, said. “We now call it SAFE, which stands
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Dadeville council approves new clerk By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer
for Safety Awareness for Everyone.” SAFE comprises several different programs, including the Eddie Eagle gun safety program taught to first-graders at Jim Pearson Elementary School, the DARE and School Resource Officer programs in the city schools and GREAT (Gang
EXCITING OPPORTUNITY
Resistance Education and Training), which teaches students about crime prevention by avoiding gangs. For adults, the Crime Prevention Unit provides education on personal safety and neighborhood watches, among other things. See SAFE • Page 9
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Established Medical Clinic in the Lake Martin area is looking for energetic, self-motivated individual to join our team of professionals. Skills/Qualifications Time Management Documentation Skills Organization Analying Information Attention to Detail General Math Skills Applicant must have at least 5 years experience, demonstrate a willingness to learn, a positive attitude, excellent customer service ____and organizational skills. Interested applicants should send resume to baselrefai@att.net
The Dadeville City Council took action Tuesday night to hire a new city clerk, following the recent resignation of Mike Gardner, who accepted an accounting position with the Tallapoosa County Board of Education. “Mr. Gardner, we’re going to miss you,” Mayor Wayne Smith said. The mayor then said the city had received nearly 10 applications from those interested in the position. Upon reviewing the applications, Smith, Gardner and a couple of the council members interviewed the top three See COUNCIL • Page 3
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